Pakistani police: 3 Afghans from IS group killed near border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani counter-terrorism forces say they have killed three Afghan militants who belonged to the Islamic State group during a raid on a hideout near the country’s border with Afghanistan. The gun battle was the latest episode of violence in Pakistan involving extremist groups that appear to have been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The dawn raid was carried out in Peshawar, capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Javed Khan, an officer with the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department. The branch is a special police unit that fights local and foreign militant groups.